The rate of obesity in the U.S. has increased dramatically in the past two decades. MarketWatch's Rex Crum discusses new data that shows the American cities with the highest obesity rates. (Photo: AP)

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I ... it's no secret that the rate of obesity has been climbing off the last two decades its impact on Ping health officials and others to call an epidemic ... I'm Rex Crum MarketWatch with a look at the Guelph Healthways well-being Index ... of the fattest cities in the United States coming at number five was the combined metropolis of Hagerstown Maryland in markets for Wes for Kenya with an obesity rate of thirty three point four percent ... in addition to that here so was among the top twenty percent nationwide for diabetes hypertension heart attacks and high cholesterol rates in the number four is the port city of Mobile Alabama with an obesity rate of thirty three point seven percent ... in addition to that high blood pressure is a problem with approximately thirty five point six percent the population having the condition ... another factor that Dell says might contribute to the high obesity rates is Movil's poverty rate ... which in two thousand eleven was nineteen point four percent ... it's not the highest but well above the fifteen point nine percent average across the country ... third place belongs to little Rock North little Rock in Conway Arkansas with the obesity rate of thirty four point seven percent ... in addition to that just fifty point nine percent of little rocks resins claim the healthy all day and that's what the lowest rates in the U S and the runner up a number two is heading to West Virginia N Ashland Kentucky with an OBC break up thirty seven point seven percent ... if you live in this town chances are you'd probably have high blood pressure the percent of residents there with high blood pressure is forty three point three percent and that's the highest rate in the country and the winner if you prefer to look at it that way as the combined metropolis of McKellen an inverted mission Texas ... with an obese the rate of thirty eight point five percent the highest in the nation ... on top of the more than twenty one percent of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes making it the highest rate of any metropolis in the country as well ... and to complete the tri effect of the metro region also the highest poverty rate in the country ... with thirty seven point seven percent of the population living below the poverty line as of two thousand eleven ...